Myuutanto
by blueturtlepower4ever
Summary: Japanese for mutant. I know I'm not the only one thinking this would happen during The Lonely Mutation Of Baxter Stockman. T because I'm über paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this for two reasons. One, I was thinking about this happening during the commercial break of _The Lonely Mutation Of Baxter Stockman, _and two, a friend of mine in Canada wants me to write a certain type of story and this was what I came up with. MikeyX K, this is for you. **

**The rest of you are free to enjoy it as well! :)**

My last sight is Donnie's face, etched with utter dismay, because for the first time, he has failed to save me.

He came so close. I felt his fingers brush against mine as gravity took its unforgiving course, pulling me down towards the enormous vat of mutagen below. But he wasn't close enough. I passed through his grasp and landed with a small splash into the mutagen.

I must confess, I have wondered what mutagen feels like. My first impression? It's thick, like batter or sludge. My second and final impression? IT HURTS! A LOT! It feels like the mutagen is burning my skin and sending flames through my veins. After that, the pain is too great for cognitive thought. I feel like I've been dunked in fire and ice at the same time and the mixture is ripping me apart, burning away April O'Neil. Pain is all I feel. I can remember nor think of anything but the pain, and can't see anything in my future but pain.

Some instinct buried deep within me overrides the pain, and I find myself breaching the surface, flopping out of the vat, taking in gulps of air. I hear high-pitched screaming, and my throat feels raw. It takes me a minute to connect the facts and realize I am the one screaming. My body is arching over and over again in sudden, forceful pushes. I'm convulsing. Out of the corner of my eye, I recognize 2 green blobs and another gray one standing a safe distance away from the mutagen shaking of my body.

Finally, my body tires and I collapse lifelessly on the platform, the screaming winding down. Instantly, a purple and green blur flirts in front of my vision.

"Donnie . . . " I moan.

"Hold on April! We'll get you back to the Lair! It'll be okay! I - I promise!" He rushes, half stumbling over his words. He scoops me up gently in his arms and holds me bridal style. I feel tired and sore all over, thoroughly exhausted. I struggle to keep my eyes open.

"D-D-Donnie? Wh-wh-what . . . " I try to ask, but the words come out slurred.

"Ju-just - just hold on April!" Donnie says, his eyes darting back and forth from me to the path ahead of him. In the background, I can hear the sounds of fighting, Leo talking to someone about meeting back at the Lair and that the mission isn't important anymore. I can hear Casey babbling, his words making no sense, but worry clear in voice

"Wh-what?" I manage to grasp out again eyelids can't be held up any longer, and I close my eyes, the world becoming dark.

* * *

The next thing I know, I am waking on a cot, thick blankets both below and covering me. The pain I felt before is dull now, like a headache in the back of your mind. The exhaustion is still there, however. Donnie must have given me some painkillers, thank Heaven. I slowly become aware of the sounds of beeps of computers and devices, and the whirring of machines. I slowly turn my head and look around. I'm in Donnie's lab, medical equipment on standby for use. I look a bit further and spot the genius himself slumped on his desk in the pose of those who have fallen asleep on their faces.

"Hey." I try to say. The word comes out horse, but Donnie, with his ninja-trained ears, still hears it and bolts up from his position.

"April!" He cries. I wince, his loud voice hurting my ears, and he tones it down a notch. "April. You're awake."

"Yep. Barely." I attempt to sit up, but Donnie gently pushes me back down.

"Don't. You're not strong enough to yet. Let me check you over first, okay? I don't want you to have a relapse."

"Relapse? What? What happened to me?" I ask, confused.

He chews the inside of his check and looks away from my eyes. "Okay, um, bad choice of words. What I mean is, I want to make sure you've recovered."

"Recovered from what?" I ask, growing more than a bit frustrated.

"What do you remember?" He asks slowly.

I think back to the beginning. "Baxter had kidnapped me. He had tied me up over a vat of mutagen, convinced that if we both fell in at the same time, he'd become human again. You guys showed up, but Baxter spit acid in the ropes. You tried to save me, but - " My breath hitches in my throat. " - but I fell into the mutagen."

"Yeah." Donnie admits.

"I - I mutated?" I ask, searching his face for any sign that I'm wrong. Unfortunately, he nods.

"Yes. I'm so sorry April. I'm sorry I didn't catch you in time." But I'm not listening to his apology. Instead I'm reaching for the edge of the blanket. I fling it off and it drifts without a sound to the floor. I stare down at my new body. My skin is green, I have a butter-yellow chest and stomach now, _a plastron, _and I have only 3 fingers and toes. I stare speechless at myself. Donnie looks at me, concerned and waiting for my reaction.

"April? April?"

Without any warning, I let out a high, shrill shriek. And hold it in that note. And don't stop.

* * *

Raph pokes his head out his door and listens to the screaming coming from Donnie's lab. He looks down the hallway to see Mikey and Leo with their heads hanging out as well.

"Sounds like she's awake." He says dryly.

**So? Worth working on? Please review! You know how much I enjoy them.**

**Thanks for reading and have a good one!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Um . . . Hey, there. *ducking various books, knives, throwing stars, and UFO's* okay, okay! I'm really, really sorry it took so long for me to write a second chapter. According to Shiane Ventures, it's been three months. Whoops. Anyway, I'm really sorry. I hope this will sooth some tempers. Enjoy.**

I probably would have screamed forever, but for two reasons. One, I was starting to lose my voice and the scream started cracking and fading. Two, I was running out of air. Still, I screamed for a good five minutes before I finally stopped, settling for sitting up and hyperventilating.

As I breathe quickly and deeply, I vaguely register Leo, Raph, and Mikey coming in the room and Donnie trying to calm me down, spewing worthless words of comfort. I don't listen to the hum of words, and instead stare horrified at my hands, my feet, my stomach and chest. I'm trembling, and some little part of my brain is telling me to calm down before I faint or go into shock. Too late, I think. I'm already there. I can't stop shaking or staring or hyperventilating.

The other three turtles surround me now, each saying something, their words overlapping each other's, making it impossible to make any of them out. I look at them all in turn, feeling like a cornered and frightened animal, unsure of what to do.

Finally, Leo pushes them all aside, telling them to give me space. For once, they listen, albeit hesitantly. Leo gently rests his hands on my shoulders.

"April? I want you to close your eyes, okay? Please?" He asks, eyes full of concern. I stare, then nod and close my eyes. Now I see nothing but darkness, and feel nothing but my racing heartbeat, and it's oddly comforting.

"Now, take a deep, slow breathe. Take your time, and just breath deeply. Please? Just a slow deep breath." Leo's voice says. I do my best to follow his instructions, and after a few tries, I'm able to slow my ragged breathing and calmly and slowly breath in and out.

"Good, good. That's great, April. Now just breath slowly for a few minutes, until you feel calm." I do that, and breath in and out. Amazingly, it seems to work, and I can feel my heartbeat slow. I don't feel calm, exactly, but I no longer feel blinding, overwhelming panic.

"Alright. Now open your eyes." I open my eyes, and meet Leo's concerned sapphire blue. He smiles kindly at me. "Better?" He asks. I nod. "Good." He lifts his hands away, and leans away from me, giving me the space he asked his brothers to give me.

"How'd you know that'd work, bro?" Mikey asks.

"It's the first few steps for meditation. It calms me down, so I thought it'd calm April." Leo explains.

"Are you alright?" Donnie asks carefully.

"Do I look alright?!" I snap, and he flinchs. I feel guilty, but dismiss it. "I mutated. Mutated, Donnie! I am not alright!"

"Sorry, sorry, I - I didn't mean -" He stammers, fiddling with his hands, not looking me in the eyes. My heart drops, and my anger leaks away.

"I know. Sorry." I look down at my hands, and jump. They're green, and I only have three fingers. Like the guys. I hold them in front of my face, and wiggle my fingers. They feel sort of like my old ones, but thicker, heavier, and clumsier.

"It's okay. I meant - how do you feel? Does anything feel hurt, or, or do you feel sick, or - ?" Donnie asks, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

"I feel weird, " I cut him off, "but not hurt."

"Okay, that - that means the painkillers I gave you worked. You - you seem uninjured. I mean, I didn't see anything concerning."

"How about the fact I'm a giant turtle?" I say dully, my head hung low.

"Besides that." He chuckles without humor.

A sticky sort of silence falls around us as I stare at my body. I want to see it fully. I need a mirror to do that, and the only full-length one in the Lair is in the bathroom. I swing my legs - my green, chunky, huge legs - off the raised cot and attempt to stand up. Two words: Epic. Fail.

The nanosecond I put a smidge of my weight on my new legs, my knees buckle and I go crashing down. I would have crumbled into a heap on the floor if Donnie hadn't caught me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what're ya doing?" He asks, sitting me back up onto the cot.

"Trying to get to the mirror so I can get a look at myself." I say as I squirm in Donnie's hands. His grip loosens from my, well, waist I guess, and moves to my shoulders.

"You're not strong enough." He says firmly.

"I'm not weak, Donnie!" I snap back. Mikey and Raph "oooooo" and Donnie looks uncertain for a second before his resolve returns.

"I'm not saying you are. I'm saying your body isn't prepared to bear your weight just yet. It's been through a lot and needs rest to regain energy and time to adapt. You need bed rest, April." He says in a softer tone.

"Donnie . . . " I whine. I don't want bed rest. I want to see myself. I don't look like April O'Neil anymore. I don't look like _me _anymore. I don't know what I look like, something everyone should know. I need to see myself.

"April, I'm serious." He chides.

"You should probably listen to him, Ape." Raph puts in. "The brainiac is usually right about this kind of stuff."

"Donnie, _please._ Your appearance is a basic thing. I need to see." I plead, doing my best to make puppy eyes. He grits his teeth and looks to the doorway.

"Donnie, what if we brought the mirror in here? We could prop it up and help April." Leo suggests quietly.

Donnie considers it, then sighs and nods. "All right. That should be okay."

I shoot a grin at the purple masked turtle, though it probably comes across feebly. "Thank you, Donnie!"

He gives a small smile as Mikey and Raph disappear to grab the mirror.

30 seconds later, Mikey and Raph return with the cookie-cutter typical mirror that was previously hung in the bathroom. Why the heck the guys have it is a complete mystery to me, but now I'm grateful for that elusive reason. The two prop it up and hold it straight for my viewing pleasure.

Mikey gestures to the mirror with a theatrical wave. "Come see your future, young one." He says in a deep mock-mystical voice.

"Mikey!" Donnie snaps, but I giggle. I know Mikey's just trying to ease the tension and cheer me up in his own way, and I appreciate the effort.

Leo and Donnie move to opposite sides of me and each tenderly grab an arm. They hoist me to my feet, taking all my weight, and practically carry me to the mirror. There's a bit of a shuffling and shifting, and then there she is in the looking glass. The new me.

Sandwiched between Leo and Donnie is a petite turtle. Me. I'm about an inch or two shorter than Leo, with light green skin, about a shade darker than Donnie's. My plastron is a dirty yellow color, divided into six sections, like the guys. I can see the ridge of a shell over my shoulder. The shell is basically like the guys, except mine flares out a smidge around the bottom, giving a perception of hips, and I'm not flat-chested like the boys. You can clearly tell I'm female, thank God. My shoulders are a bit broader now, but I'm rather skinny compared to the boys. I still have my hair, to my surprise. My red hair hangs loose (pony tail and headband long gone), nearly brushing my shoulders, bangs an inch shy of being in my eyes. My turtle features are striking similar to my human features. If I squint, I can see my old face in this new one. My eyes are still bright blue, and I can make out freckles on my cheeks and bridging where my nose should be. Speaking of which, I can still breathe like I have a nose, but I have none. I'm guessing I have nostrils instead, small enough to not be seen at anything farther than point blank. My arms and legs are, once again, skinnier than the guys, but far bulkier than my old ones. My feet are larger, looking more like boots than feet, and I have, of course, only three toes. I give my body another sweep, top to bottom, and notice something that just about gives me a heart attack.

"Donnie?" I ask lowly.

"Yeah, April?"

"Why. The heck. Do I have. A _TAIL." _I hiss. Sure enough, I act instinctively, and watch a little green tail wiggle in between my legs.

To my slight surprise, Donnie immediately blushes. I look at the others and notice red filling theirs cheeks as well, even Raph and Mikey's.

"Well?" I snap.

"W-well, a-all tur-turtles have ta-tails, April." Donnie stutters, his face bright red.

"You guys don't!" I glance quickly, confirming it. No tails to be seen.

If possible, every face in the room gets redder.

"You explain, brainiac." Raph grumbles.

"Explain what?" I ask.

"Well, uh, ya-you see April, uh, um, turtles, they, uh, -" Donnie sputters, unable to get his words out.

"We keep our tails in our shells, April. For two very good reasons." Leo says, eyes darting around the floor.

"See, um, turtles, their, uh, well, their, re-re-reproductive system, it's, uh, in the tail." Donnie spits out. My eyes widen, and I finally get why the guys are so embarrassed. My own cheeks heat up as I realize what that means.

"Also, when we were little, we'd get them pulled and stepped on all the time. It was easier to just keep 'em in our shells." Mikey says with a strained smile.

"What?! What - what do I do?" I blush furiously.

"Just pull it in, genius. You're a turtle." Raph snaps uncomfortably.

"How?!" I retort back.

"It's instinctive. Just do it." Donnie coaxes. I roll my eyes. Not helpful. But I take a deep breath and try. To my surprise, my tail disappears, and I can feel it inside my shell.

"Oh." I have no clue what to say, my face feeling like a frying pan. "So . . . Does this mean I can pull my head and limbs in too?"

The guys breathe a sigh of relief, thankful for the change in subject.

"Most likely." Donnie says. "We can, but we mainly do it when we feel threatened and instinct overrides thought."

"Or when something's chucked or shot at our heads." Raph murmurs.

I smile. "Maybe I'll try later." Suddenly, I feel drained. I didn't have much energy when I woke up, but even that tiny supply is gone now.

Leo looks at me and smiles. "Want us to take you back to the cot?"

I nod at him and he and Donnie walk me back to the makeshift hospital bed. I lay down gratefully and yawn.

"Get some sleep, April." Donnie says. "We can talk in the morning." He says in an almost hopeful manner.

I smile and nod. "Of course Donnie."

Don shoo's his brothers out of his lab, then grabs the blanket off the floor and hands it to me.

"Need anything?" He asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I shake my head, but as he moves to the light switch, I call out to him. "Wait."

He turns and smiles. "Yeah, April?"

"Where's Casey?"

His smile turns into a frown. "At home. We told him we'd call when you were awake and up to visitors."

"Can you tell him I'm okay?"

Donnie bites his lip, but nods. "Okay, but he's going to have to wait until you're feeling better to see you. Doctor's orders." He adds, pointing at me.

I roll my eyes, but smile at his little joke. "Okay. Night Donnie."

"Goodnight April." He turns the lights off, and gently shuts the door.

You'd think, with something so earth-shattering happening to me, I would lie awake for hours. But to be completely honest, I was insanely tired. The minute my eyelids meet, I fall asleep.

**I couldn't resist adding the tail thing. I've always wondered about that. Turtles have tails, but we never see the guys with tails except in fanart. I'd assumed the guys just kept them tucked to keep them out of the way and warm. When I learned that bit of turtle anatomy, well, it made a bit more sense. So I did both.**

**Anyways, please review. I'd really appreciate it.**

**Happy new school year (I'm personally still out, but I know most people are in)!**

**Katana**


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